


We were Strangers (Starting Out on a Journey)

by Mimozka



Series: RebelCaptain [1]
Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mention Of Homophobia, Mention of Islamophobia, Rebelcaptain - Freeform, Rebelcaptain Secret Valentine 2017, Strangers to Lovers, roadtrip au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-17
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-25 04:47:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9803195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mimozka/pseuds/Mimozka
Summary: Roadtrip AU: Cassian met Jyn Erso (or rather, who he would find out later was Jyn Erso) when he caught her trying to break into his RV in the parking lot of a dingy motel just off the Dixie Highway outside Miami.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to Stilluseapencil on Tumblr who requested a roadtrip AU.
> 
> The Content warnings mentioned in the tags are just that - there is vague referecing/ discussion of these topics in the fic but it's nothing graphic. 
> 
> This is my first ever Star Wars-related fic, I hope you enjoy it. I'd love some feedback.

He should have known that his life would never be the same again after he met Jyn Erso. Their meeting alone should have clued him in as to just the kind of life he was going to have with her around.

Cassian Andor was a thirty-two ex police Captain who recently quit his job. It wasn’t that he was injured in the line of duty, or he’d gotten fired. No. He quit his job. The job he’d wanted to have since he was six years old. A job he used to make sure people didn’t grow up like he did - with no one to lend him a helping hand. The reason for that development was the newly appointed police commissioner.

Draven was a mayoral administration’s approval ratings’ wet dream. He got results, followed orders, and if he had to cross a few lines to do it he did it silently. That was precisely where he and Cassian disagreed - the crossing of lines. Draven had no problem with the occasional show of force against detainees. Cassian couldn’t and wouldn’t stand for it. He did his best to make a difference in the precinct, to convince his men not to fall for Draven’s manipulation, but when he saw his attempts fell on deaf ears, he quit. 

It was probably one of the hardest things he’d ever done, quitting the force, but he couldn’t stand at the helm of men who couldn’t respect basic human rights, even though they took a vow to. He couldn’t look them in the eye, knowing they’d put some unsuspecting kid in the hospital the previous evening. He couldn’t and wouldn’t take orders from a bully like Draven. If that meant he had to give up his livelihood, then so be it.

His Tia always said he was far too honourable than what’s good for him and that one day, it’ll make his life more difficult than it had to be. Turned out she was right, as usual. Yet, Cassian found he didn’t really mind. He was at a crossroads, not sure of where to go next with his life. So he did the logical thing - sold his apartment and his car and bought himself an RV. A journey of self discovery seemed to always be the right solution in books and movies. Maybe getting on the road for a while would help him, too.

* * *

Cassian met Jyn Erso (or rather, who he would find out later was Jyn Erso) when he caught her trying to break into his RV in the parking lot of a dingy motel just off the Dixie Highway outside Miami. He’d gone to the small convenience store to get some food and hygiene supplies he was running low on, when he saw someone skulking around his RV. Years of habit had him reaching for the small of his back to grab a weapon that wasn’t there.

He paused for just the smallest of seconds before realizing, that he didn’t really need a weapon to handle the situation. He had a little over a decade of training under his belt. Carefully, he set down his shopping and approached the perp from behind, catching them by the arm and twisting them around until they were both face-to-face.

He was shocked to see it was a small woman (who barely even reached his shoulder). She struggled against him in a way that made him think this wasn’t, by far her first such encounter. Cassian did his best to hold her in place while trying not to hurt her. The precise strikes she used to break free told him she’s been trained. Properly trained.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” Cassian asked her as she struggled in his arms.

“Let me go!” The woman demanded, her voice surprisingly vicious.

“Not until you tell me why you were trying to break into my RV.” Cassian demanded, although in what he hoped would be taken as a show of good faith he did let go of her. “I’m not going to call the cops, or hurt you, I just want to know why.” he added, holding her gaze.

 _Ah, que lindos ojos tienes_ [what beautiful eyes you have]

Her green eyes remained just as fierce while her posture deflated considerably.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I don’t exactly make it a habit of breaking into people’s property.” the woman said with a sigh.

“Somehow, I don’t quite believe that.” Cassian replied, fighting a smile.

He waited for a moment for her to elaborate and when she didn’t he just raised an eyebrow in her direction.

“Look, I just needed a ride, ok? My crew left me here in the middle of fucking nowhere and without a ride or the means to pay for one.” she huffed, clearly uncomfortable with admitting the truth.

Cassian couldn’t tell just yet whether that was due to her being unused to telling the truth, or due to her not being comfortable with vulnerability around strangers. He could very much relate to the latter and well… he’ll have an opportunity to find out about the former as well.

“Do you have any stuff?” he asked her.

The woman staggered a few steps back and her expression went blank. Then she shook her head and grimaced.

“Wait, are you trying to rob me, now? Is this payback?” she asked him, her shoulders tensing immediately.

Cassian snorted, although he supposed he couldn’t blame her for making that assumption.

“No, I’m asking you if you have stuff you’d like to take with you before we leave.” he said.

The woman’s grimace remained.

“Are you serious?” she snorted.

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Cassian retorted.

“I don’t even know your name, you don’t even know who I am. We could be serial killers!” the woman exclaimed.

“Cassian.”

“What?”

Cassian sighed, “My name’s Cassian.”

“Still doesn’t mean you’re not a serial killer.” the woman shrugged.

“One, it’s highly unlikely we’re both serial killers. Two, if I were one you would likely already be dead, or at the very least unconscious since I would have probably reacted violently to you trying to steal my RV. But then again I’m not a serial killer, so you’re in luck.” Cassian explained.

“Well for ‘not-a-serial-killer’ you sure do know a lot about serial killers.” the woman remarked.

“Might have to do with being a part of Miami PD for the past twelve years.” Cassian shrugged.

The woman muttered something too quiet for him to hear and turned her back to him.

“I’m going to go get my bag” She said over her shoulder.

“That’s now three things you know about me, lady.” Cassian called out to her and unlocked the RV before going back to the corner he’d left his shopping at.

The woman came back with medium sized, packed, worn backpack that looked like it’s been to war and back.

“That’s all I have,” she said, plopping it at her feet.

“I’ll put it in the back, unless there’s anything you need?” Cassian offered. “You can go ahead and get in.”

With that he took the backpack, which he noted was surprisingly heavy, and put it with the rest of his luggage.

He was surprised to find her up front next to the driver’s seat, but he didn’t say anything about it. Company on the road was always nice. At the very least there was someone to keep you from falling asleep at the wheel.

“Thank you.” the woman said, more solemn than Cassian thought her possible to be.

Cassian shrugged off her gratitude and offered her a smile in return.

There was a beat of silence before the woman spoke again.

“My name’s Jyn.” she said and promptly continued before he could get a word in. “That’s spelled J-Y-N so before you think about cracking any alcohol jokes, don’t. I’ve heard them before and they’re all lame.”

Cassian grinned at her as he turned the key in the ignition.

“So where to, Jyn?” he asked.

Jyn shrugged and leaned back in her leather seat.

“Doesn’t really matter.” 

* * *

By the time they’d reached Jacksonville, Cassian found out that Jyn wasn’t really comfortable talking about herself. She gave out just the barest of details about herself, none of which really satisfied his curiosity about her. He couldn’t really explain it, that need to get to know her. It was bizarre to him, and definitely not the way his Tia raised him. In fact Cassian was pretty sure she wouldn’t hesitate for pulling his ear for going on a gamble like taking Jyn with him when she was a stranger he knew nothing about. Right after that she’d remind him to keep his heart safe and his head straight.

But Jyn wasn’t a threat to him. After so long in the force he liked to think he was a pretty good judge of character.

They decided to call it a day when they passed through Jacksonville. Cassian found an empty parking lot to park the RV and he managed to persuade Jyn to go out with him and sightsee some before they grabbed a bite. As people who were going to spend a lot of time together and should get to know each other.

It proved to be a good exercise in trust that ended with the both of them drinking beer at a hole-in-the-wall-pub a couple of blocks away from where they parked. It seemed that alcohol helped loosen Jyn’s tongue, but it also made her more morose than she appeared to be when sober.

It’s then that he learned that Jyn used to be an officer in the army. Dishonorably discharged after she refused to follow orders that would have resulted in the death of civilians just for the sake of catching a “warlord”. That dishonorable discharge pretty much stood in her way of getting a proper job, or healthcare or a decent place to live - since it always cropped up on her resume wherever she went. People thought the worst of her when in reality, she was just trying to do what she signed up for - save lives. Make the world better.

Cassian understood how that felt. So to even the odds between them (and because he could see she was getting uncomfortable, sharing so much) he decided to tell her his own story on how he had to call it quits with the force and the one thing he’d wanted to be since he was a child.

His confession resulted in Jyn ordering another round of drinks and toasting to “fuck the System”.

About an hour later, Cassian tucked a passed out Jyn in his bed, put a bottle of water and two aspirins on the small bedside table, and headed for the armchair across from her.

The next morning, he let her sleep in while he headed to the diner across the road to get some breakfast for the both of them. Having no idea, what she’d like he got a little bit of everything. He left her food in the microwave and stuck a post it on the water bottle.

Breakfast’s in the microwave. Thank you for your service. ~C.

* * *

The next couple of days passed by in relative calmness. Jyn and Cassian took turns driving. Sometimes they just sat next to each other, each in their own little world, while listening to the radio. Other times they sat in silence or they talked. They didn’t talk about the night in the bar. The only acknowledgement Cassian ever got of it is Jyn smiling at him after they left Jacksonville and thanking him for breakfast.

So really, it was a surprise to Cassian when Jyn urged him to stop the RV after they passed a traffic light. The urgency in her voice made Cassian obey her request and as soon as he hit the breaks Jyn just about flew out of the vehicle. Her behavior worried him and so Cassian followed her, having enough presence of mind to lock the RV.

It turned out a good thing that he did follow her, because the sight he came across was Jyn taking on two guys, who were easily almost twice her size in a fist fight as another man, taller than Cassian but also obviously hurt if the bruises on his face and the blood at the corner of his lips were any indication, fought another two men.

Cassian didn’t hesitate and jumped in to help. He opted to help the man first since he seemed hurt and Jyn looked like she was handling things just fine. It took some effort but eventually the attackers scurried away, looking, Cassian thought, worse for wear.

“Thank you,” the big man said. He was now crouching on on the ground and cradling another man who looked like he’d been through a boxing match.

“What happened?” Jyn asked, crouching near the big guy to check his partner’s pulse.

“It’s a small town, Jasper, people aren’t very welcoming of change or things they don’t understand.” he explained. “They attacked Chirrut and I because they saw us holding hands on our way back from the bus station. Chirrut’s blind.”

Cassian’s heart ached for the two of them. He never did well with seeing other people suffer because others couldn’t spare them a tiny shred of kindness.

“You were going somewhere?” Cassian asked them quietly.

Jyn looked up at him as he spoke and he could see the same resolve in her eyes that he currently felt. She nodded at him and it was decided. They’ll help the couple get anywhere they needed to.

“We were going to travel to Nashville, to get married.” Chirrut explained with a slight splutter. “The bus left though, and we are not in it.”

“You’ll get to Nashville. We’ll take you.” Cassian offered.

“We couldn’t ask you to - “ Chirrut’s partner said as he helped Chirrut to his feet.

“You’re not. We’re offering.” Jyn supplied. “I’m Jyn and this is Cassian.”

“Baze Malbus and this is my fiance, Chirrut.” Baze replied.

* * *

Sure the RV was quite cramped the next couple of days until they reached Nashville, but neither Jyn nor Cassian could bring themselves to regret it. They both opted to stay upfront in order to give Baze and Chirrut some sense of privacy.

In return for their kind gesture, Chirrut started cooking meals for them. Saying that there must always be a balance in the world and that good deeds should not go unnoticed or unrewarded. Even if the person wished for no reward.

The two turned out to be great company as well, with Jyn and Baze striking an almost instant friendship.

Once in Nashville, Baze and Chirrut bade them goodbye, saying they will be staying with Baze’s cousin for a couple of days before they got back on their feet to look for an apartment of their own. Just as they were leaving though, Jyn called out to them:

“Do you have witnesses?”

Baze and Chirrut turned on their heel to look at her questioningly.

Jyn closed the distance between them and asked again. “Do you have witnesses for your wedding?”

Cassian approached them just in time to hear Jyn ask and he quickly got a feeling of where this was going. For all her attempts to pretend to be this unfeeling, cynical hardass, Jyn Erso had a soft side. She was a big old softie on the inside. Not unlike him.

“Because if you don’t, we’ll do it.” he said. “It’s not like we really have anywhere to be or a timetable to follow.”

Baze settled for simply shaking Cassian’s hand in thanks and enveloping Jyn in what looked like a bone crushing hug.

“Thank you, little sister.”

* * *

“I really hope things look up for them,” Jyn said the morning after they’d left Nashville and headed up north towards St Louis.

Cassian nodded, “ _Si_ , everyone deserves to be happy.” he said.

They settled into comfortable silence again as Cassian watched Jyn navigate the twists and turns of the road, while he sipped his morning coffee.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked.

Jyn hummed her agreement and glanced at him quickly to give him a nod.

“When you returned from war…” Cassian paused, unsure of how to continue “How did you adjust to being a civilian? I’ve been on the road for a couple of months now and I just… I thought maybe discovering myself will help me figure out what to do next. But I just… I feel lost. Still.”

Jyn was silent for a while and Cassian was just about to apologize for whatever line he’d crossed with her when she spoke, effectively cutting him off.

“It’s not something you really get used to. Not when what you did before, in your case, being a cop - a decent cop, too - was something you’ve dedicated yourself, too.” Jyn answered, her words were slow and measured, as if she were weighing each word she said. “You basically have to find another purpose again. It’s not an easy thing to do and it doesn’t happen overnight. I mean… You saw where it got me right? Breaking into people’s vehicles.”

She tried to laugh off her answer, but the snort died in her throat.

Cassian found an odd sense of comfort in Jyn’s words. His anxiety faded just a little bit. He could still feel a tightness in his chest, but he could bear it now. It was easier when you knew you had someone to share the burden with.

* * *

They were leaving a supermarket in St Louis when something odd caught Jyn’s attention. A flash of a familiar face. A dear face. The man that passed them by looked familiar at first glance but disappeared into an alley before Jyn could get a better look at him.

So naturally, in true Jyn fashion, and against Cassian’s better judgement, Jyn followed the guy.

The alley was dark and the man’s dark, ratty clothes and woolen hat weren’t helping matters. But Jyn couldn’t shake the feeling that she knew this person. Cassian didn’t know whether he should be worried about her sanity or not. He’d offered to go with her, but she declined, stating she didn’t want to spook the guy.

He’d just finished putting away their groceries when Jyn came up behind him with the man they’d seen.

“Bodhi, this is my friend Cassian,” Jyn said and Cassian’s chest felt warm all of a sudden, at hearing her regard him as her friend.

“Cassian, this is Bodhi Rook, I met him in Iraq.” Jyn explained with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Fellow soldier?” Cassian asked, reaching out to shake Bodhi’s hand.

“Interpreter, actually, I helped the Sarge and her squad with intelligence.” Bodhi said, his voice shaking just a little bit.

“Don’t let him fool you, he’s braver than most soldiers I know. The rebels caught him smuggling information to us and what they did, it wasn’t pretty. But he took it like a man and he continued to help us.” Jyn said softly, throwing an arm around Bodhi.

“A man with nothing has nothing to lose, right?” Bodhi supplied with a weak smile.

“You should have dinner with us,” Cassian said, warming up to the other man instantly.

A couple hours later, Bodhi’s dosing off in the armchair next to the dinner table and Cassian and Jyn are sitting in the front. Jyn tells him Bodhi’s story in hushed whispers. How the man had fallen on hard times and couldn’t afford his place anymore or find a job that would keep him long enough for him to sustain himself.

“He said he had family up in Chicago, but he can’t afford a bus or a train so I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if we took him?” Jyn asked, twisting a lock of hair between her fingers. A sign, Cassian had come to learn meant she was nervous.

“It feels like the least we could do, doesn’t it? He doesn’t have a home because of that stupid war. And he’s sacrificed a lot for a bunch of strangers and their ideals.” Cassian mused.

“His intel is the reason I’m still here.” Jyn said quietly. “I should have done a better job of keeping tabs on him.”

“Hey, don’t do that, you couldn’t have known and it’s not like you were having the time of your life either. You’re here now though, when he needs your help. And you’re helping him.” Cassian hurried to say, reaching over to squeeze her hand gently.

Jyn offered him a grateful smile in return.

“You know, if my Tia could meet you, she’d say you have _una buena alma_.” Cassian said.

“What does that mean?”

“A good soul.”

* * *

Jyn and Cassian end up staying three days at Bodhi’s cousin’s place in Chicago. Mariyam wouldn’t let them go, stating she wanted them to be guests in her home so she could properly thank them for reuniting her with Bodhi whom she believed dead for the longest time. The two of them really don’t have the heart to say no and they stood no chance against the persuasion powers of Bodhi, Mariyam or her husband.

On their third day there, Cassian found himself sitting on Mariyam’s small balcony with a cup of tea in his hands. They’d just finished eating dinner and he could hear Bodhi and his brother-in-law chattering in the living room.

The balcony door slid open, and sure enough Jyn came to sit on the small loveseat next to him.

“Everything ok?” Jyn asked, nudging him playfully with her shoulder.

“Just thinking,” Cassian shrugged, taking another sip of his tea.

“That’s not always a good idea,” Jyn teased him.

Cassian let out a laugh and leaned back against the loveseat.

“Do you like it here in Chicago?” he asked her.

Jyn shrugged “It seems like a nice enough place, I guess.”

“I’ve been thinking about my purpose and I want your opinion on something” Cassian told her quietly.

He told her about the idea he’s had ever since they found Bodhi and stumbled across Chirrut and Baze. Helping people was very much what he still wanted to do, he just didn’t know how to go about it. He told Jyn about wanting to open a place where people in need could come to seek help and advice. Veterans, LGBT members, abuse survivors… Anyone looking for a fresh start, really. Anyone who was looking for support and couldn’t get it within their immediate circle.

“You don’t always need a big gesture to make a difference, sometimes just being there for someone can turn a life around… My Tia used to say that.” Cassian said, finishing his explanation.

“She sounds like a very smart woman.” Jyn said, and once Cassian looked up at her he could see her eyes were glassy with unshed tears.

“She would have loved you, you know.” Cassian said with a soft smile.

“I think your idea sounds amazing.” Jyn replied. “You should do it. Offer people support you and I didn’t have.”

“I don’t want to do it alone,” Cassian confessed after a beat of silence.

“Will you stay?” He asked Jyn when she offered no response. “I know it’s crazy and that we’ve only known each other for about a week but… There’s something about you, Jyn… Will you please stay?” His voice was barely above a whisper now.

Jyn looked at him for a moment before wiping the tears off her face.

“I’ll stay,” she whispered and leaned in to press a kiss against his lips.


End file.
